Chamber cleaning tool



Feb. 25, 1958 N. J. ANGELICA EI'AL 2,824,322

CHAMBER CLEANING TOOL Filed Nov. 21, 1955 Fig-1 l mam Md aid-QM HTTURNYGI United States Patten-t9 CHAMBER CLEANING TOOL Nicholas J. Angelica,Thompsonville, Conn.,"and- Robert -S.-Henry, Agawam, Mass, assignors tothe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the ArmyApplication November 21, 1955, Serial No. 548,285 3 Claims. (Cl.15104.09) .(Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (195,2),,sec. 266) Theinvention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for theGovernment for governmental purposes without the payment of any royaltythereon.

This invention relates to cleaning tools and more particularly to toolsfor cleaning the inside of hollow objects having limited space foractuation of a cleaning brush sprin g-biased bolt to press the brushagainst the wall of the chamber for cleaning thereof.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tool for cleaningthe chamber of a rifle which is rotatable in one direction by theoscillation of a handle and which facilitates removal of any debrisloosened from the chamber.

-"The specific nature of the invention as well as other .objects andadvantages thereof will clearly appear from aldescription of a preferredembodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a partially cross-sectioned top view of the breech end of arifle barrel showing the cleaning tool inserted in the chamber thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the actuator partially in cross-section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view showing the helicalpitch of the ratchet teeth;

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the cleaning tool; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged partially cross-sectioned fragmentary side view ofthe actuator shown fabricated from plastic material.

Shown in the figures is a cleaning tool 12 for a firearm 14 having abarrel 16, a receiver 18 provided with an opening 20 in the top thereofand a bolt 22 reciprocably mounted in the receiver. Barrel 16 isprovided with a chamber 24 having an annular shoulder 25 adjacent therear end thereof, and bolt 22 is biased to a battery position adjacentsuch chamber by means of a cooperating operating rod 26 and a spring 28.Tool 12 is insertable into receiver 18 through opening 20 therein whenbolt 22 is retracted and is comprised of a brush 30 and an actuator 32.

Brush 30 includes a core 34 formed from a wire which is bent to aU-shape so that the parallel arm portions pass through a pair of spacedbores 36 provided longitudinally through a cylinder mount 38. Such armportions extending through mount 38 are then twisted. Fixed between suchtwisted arms so as to extend radially therefrom is a row of bristles 40which forms a continuous helix conforming to the twist of such arms.

portion of base 2,824,322 Batented Feb. 25, 1958 .Bri stles -40.arecontolltedrto.the dirnensions of chamber '24 so that the entire wallthereof is brushed by .the

bristleswhenbrush 30 is;rotated.by;actuator-32 ashere- .inafterdescribed.

.44 in: the front facethereof to receive mount 38 which is fixed to suchheadby .a transverse.pin-4.6. The front of head .42.i s,re duced.indiameter, as noted at 48, to fit within the rear portion ofIcharnber'24-so that front face 43 engages shoulder 25 to act as'ahearing for tool 12 when rotated. lFront face 43 is disposed, relativeto brush, 30, so that bristles 4.0 are infirm contact with the walls ofchamber 24, withoutbeing jammed thereagainst, whensuch front faceisinengagement with shoulder 25.

Extending axiallyrearwardly fromhead 38 and fixed thereto is a rod 52upon hich there isrotatably mounted a cylinder base member 54 providedwith an axial bore 56 for receiving such rod. Their earuend ofbore 56 iscounterbored, as noted at 58, and suchcounterbore is terminated by anannular shoulder 60. Provided on the rear face of head 42 and .thefrontface 54 is a set of matching ratchet teeth 62 which are so arranged thatwhen .suchbaseis rotated, brush 30 is rotatcdso that the.helix.0f thebristles 40 draws rearwardly any foreign.matterinqchamber 24. Theannular faces ofratchet teeth -62, note d at 64, are helically formed,as best shown in Fig. 3, to reduce frictional resistance therebetweenwhen in ,sliding cooperation. Base 54 is restrained on rod 52 bymeansofa splitring 66 which is received by anannular groove 68 in such, rod andis slidable in ,counterbore 58. The movement ,of base 54 on rod 52 islimited by the full engagement of ratchet teeth 62 and thecontactbetween split ring 66 and shoulder 60 and such movementissufficient to permit the ratchet teeth on such=base to pass over thoseonhead 42 for re-engagement.

Provided in base 54 is a plurality of radialholes 70 which are threadedto receive the threaded ends of a coventional. cleaning rod .section 72or any other suitable handle means. Therear face ofbase 54is engageableby the front end of bolt 22 whereby :the pressure of spring 28 biasingsuch bolt towards battery position presses actuator 32 against shoulder25 and bristles 40 into resilient contact with the wall of chamber 24.

To clean chamber 24 by tool 12, bolt 22 is retracted sufficiently topermit entrance of such tool into receiver 18 through opening 20therein. Tool 12 is then pushed forwardly until brush 30 enters chamber24 so that when bolt 22 is released, the bias of spring 28, throughoperating rod 26, presses front face 43 against shoulder 25 and bristles40 against the wall of the chamber. Cleaning rod section 72 is thenthreaded into one of the holes '70 through opening 20 and oscillatedfrom side to side to the limit permitted by such opening.

As has hereinbefore been explained, ratchet teeth 62 are arranged sothat when base 54 is rotated, such rotation is transferred through head42 to brush 30 in the direction whereby the helix of bristles 40 movesrearwardly in chamber 24 any foreign matter loosened by such bristles sothat when tool 12 is removed from the chamber, the debris disposedrearward of such brush is removed thereby. The bias of spring 28 throughoperating rod 26 assures engagement between ratchet teeth 62 fortransmitting rotary movement in the desired direction from base 54 tohead 42 and the drag of bristles 40 against the wall of chamber 24 andthe helix on the angular faces 64 of the ratchet teeth permit such baseto be counterrotated without counterrotating brush If desired, head 42and base 54 may be fabricated from plastic material such'as nylon, forease of manufacture and to, prevent any scoring of chamber 24 by suchhead. If such head and base are fabricated from plastic material, therear end of core 34 might be molded directly into a head member 56 asillustrated in Fig. 5.

Also, ratchet teeth 50 might, if desired, be replaced by any other meanswhich would convert oscillating movement of base 54 to rotary movementof head 42 in one direction. Furthermore, cleaning tool 12 may be usedfor cleaning any hollow object as long as pressure from manual ormechanical means is applied against actuator 32 to assure engagement ofratchet teeth 62 and pressure of bristles 40 against the inside wall ofsuch object.

From the foregoing, it is clearly apparent that there is herein provideda cleaning tool which is especially well adapted for cleaning a chamberhaving limited space for actuation of the cleaning tool therein. '7 IAlthough a particular embodiment of the invention has been describedindetail herein, it is evident-that many variations may be devised withinthe spirit'and scope thereof and the following claims are intended toinclude such variations.

We claim: 1

1. For a firearm having a barrelwith a chamber and a longitudinallyreciprocating bolt spring-biased against the breech end of the barrel,means for cleaning the chamber including an actuator operationallydisposed outside of the chamber for resilient engagement by the bolt, acore secured to said actuator so as to extend axially into the chamber,a continuous helical row of radial-bristlesextending along said core forbrushing contact with the wall of the chamber'when the bolt biases saidactuator into engagement with the barrel, and means operationallycooperating with the bolt for rotating said core so that saidbristles'clean the wall of the chamber and remove therefrom any foreignmatter. 7

2. For a firearm having a barrel with a chamber provided with an annularshoulder adjacent the breech end of the barrel and a longitudinally-reciprocating bolt spring-biased against the breech of the barrel,means for cleaning the chamber including a cylindrical headmemher havinga front face rotatably engageable with the annular shoulder, a coreextending from one end of said head member and axially receivable by thechamber, a continuous helical row of radial bristles extending alongsaid core for brushing contactwith the wall of the chamher when saidhead member is in engagement with the annular shoulder, a base memberrotatably mounted to said head member for engagement by the bolt to biassaid head member against the annular shoulder, means for oscillatingsaid base member, and means cooperating with the bolt for. convertingthe oscillation of said base member to rotary movement of said headmember in thedirection whereby said bristles simultaneously clean theinside of the chamber and move rearwardly therefrom any foreign matter.

3. .Forafirearm having a barrel with a chamber provided with an annularshoulder adjacent the breech end of the barrel and a longitudinallyreciprocating bolt biased against the breech of the barrel, means forcleaning the chamber including a cylindrical head member having a frontend face rotatably engageable with the shoulder, a wirelike coreembedded at the midpoint thereof in said head member to form two armportions twisted together to extend forwardly and axially from .saidhead member, a continuous row of bristles extending along said corebetweensaid arm portionsto form a continuous helix having brushingcontact with the wall of the chamber, a rod-portion extending axiallyrearward from the rear end. of said head member, a'base member rotatablymounted on said rod for engagement by the bolt, means foroscillatingsaid base member, cooperating teeth on the adjacent faces ofsaid head and base members, sides on said cooperating teeth ,engageableby the bias of the bolt during oscillation of said base member fortranslating movement from said base member to said bristles in adirection'whereby said bristles simultaneously clean the wall of thechamber and move rearwardly therefrom any foreign matter, and, oppositecooperating helical inclined sideson said cooperating teeth whichpermitsaid base member to be rotated in an opposite directionagainst the biasof the bolt without: imparting rotary movement to said bristles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FishNov. 28, 1944

